Hey Highballers!
It’s March (already?), so we’re back with another Highball newsletter to keep you up to date with everything going on this month!
To celebrate the end of our winter bouldering league – The Flash League – we decided to combine the league Finals with one of our social, zero-pressure, beginner friendly climbing events we like to call a Flash Social.
So, what should you expect on the 27th March?
This will be a two-part event, beginning with a Flash Social Competition between 6pm-8.30pm.
Flash Social Comps are for everyone, from first-time comp-ers to the more experienced climbers! These are casual competition evenings, with plenty of low to mid-grade climbs (with the majority of climbs sitting somewhere between 0-4).
Climbing stops at 8.30pm, and from then we’d love for everyone to join us on the Comp Wall to cheer on the top 6 male & female Flash League finalists as they go head to head for first place!
Cost: £1 for members, £3 + regular entry for non-members, with £1 of every ticket donated to CAC
free entry for spectators!
International Women’s Day falls on March 8th this year, and to celebrate we wanted to give our female climbers a day of discounted climbs!
This year’s theme for IWD is “Give to Gain”, a reminder for communities, organisations & businesses that “Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication.”* Which I think is especially true when it comes to women in climbing. Whether it’s through visibility, listening to feedback, or something as simple as discounted climbing – by doing our part to support female climbers, we build a more supportive climbing community.
So, on Sunday March 8th, women can climb all day for £10, and new female climbers climb for free!
If you haven’t climbed with us before, we ask that you complete our free Online Intro course prior to arrival – you can find the Online Intro course here.
Looking for something a little different to do on Mother’s Day? Bring your mum bouldering!
On Mother’s Day (Sunday 15th March) mums climb for free* AND can claim a free hot drink from our Cafe!
If you, or your mum, is new to climbing, we ask that you complete our free Online Intro course prior to arrival – you can find our Online course here.**
*1 mum’s free entry per paying customer or member!
**The Online Intro Course is for those 16+ and does not allow you to supervise Under 16’s in the centre. If you’d like to supervise Under 16’s in the centre, you’ll need to attend one of our in-person Boulder Introductions.
For those who missed the first two weeks of us opening Our new Kid’s Area, this area is separate from the main centre, with shorter walls and accessible climbs for small ones – which means we can finally welcome Under 6’s to Highball!
Our Under 6’s BoulderTot sessions have been a huge success, so after receiving lots of requests, we have added weekend sessions alongside our regular weekday slots!
BoulderTots sessions are open climbing sessions for adults supervising young children in the dedicated Kid’s Area. These sessions are not supervised by a coach. There is no lower age limit for BoulderTots, but is best suited for those aged 5 & below.
(Quick reminder:)
The campus board, as many of you will be pleased to hear, is coming to our upstairs training area – and it’s had a little upgrade!
Keep your eye out for our brand new campus board, courtesy of Hard Wood Holds, who’s also responsible for our amazing upstairs Woody Board!
A campus board is a training tool that climbers use to improve their finger strength/arm strength & plyometric techniques (explosive moves). The boards are usually made up of horizontal wooden slats, arranged in a ladder, which climbers use to ascend or descend using only their hands (hence ‘campus’).
We are planning to open up some of our spare space to Norwich artists! The space in question is a large, converted office area situated on the first floor, above the café/seating areas of our climbing centre.
Studio sizes begin at 2x2m, but can be built depending on artist’s needs. All artists will have access to a shared kitchen and access to free parking on site.
If you, or anyone you know is looking for an artist studio space, click the button below for more information & an option to register your interest.
We’re really excited that we’re now stocking new Highball Merch in our shop! It’s taken a lot of trial and error – but we’re really proud of the final results. The design features many of our iconic highball holds – the more you look, the more you recognise.
We’ve got kid’s t-shirts, adult t-shirts and hoodies in lots of sizes & funky colour combinations, so come and have a browse next time you’re in!
As of – we’ll be stocking Unparallel Souped Up & Up Virtu in our shop!
So, what does Unparallel say about these models?
UP Virtu: The ultimate shoe for climbers of all levels. Made for both comfort and performance the velcro closure system is designed for a secure and personalised fit. Slip into UP Virtu for the perfect blend of comfort, style, and sensitivity, and elevate your climbing experience to new heights.
SOUPED UP: This shoe has been designed with a combination of harder (RH) and softer rubber (RS) on the outsole and split into two pieces. By splitting the outsole this allows for maximum stiffness/rigidity and power to the toe, while at the same time, maintaining sensitivity with the rest of the foot. With a VD (particularly soft and sensitive) rubber toe patch, this allows for extra friction and performance for toe hooks..
We’re so pleased that so many of you showed up and got involved with the Unparallel Boot demo, we’ll definitely be looking to do more boot demos in the future!
Wed 11th, 8.30pm-9.30pm, Route Reading
Mon 16th, 8.00pm-9.00pm, Footwork
Wed 25th, 8.30pm-9.30pm, Fear and Confidence
Wed 1st April, 8.30pm-9.30pm, Route Reading
Additional workshops are often added to the calendar – so keep an eye on our social media for updates.
For those who haven’t attended one of these Sunday morning sessions, we thought we’d tell you a little bit more about Avril and her workshops.
Avril gained her Masters Degree in Physiotherapy in 2012, and since then has worked extensively in both private and NHS settings. She has a background in gymnastics and stunt acting (!!) on top of her extensive Pilates, yoga & climbing experience.
Avril’s sessions focus on rehabilitation and pre-rehabilitation, preventing bad habits and encouraging good ones. Avril’s experience allows these sessions to be completely adaptable, so no matter the ache, pain or niggle – Avril’s sessions can be tailored to you.
27th Feb – Comp Wall for Flash League: R4 (with guest setter Nick Lord)
3rd March – The Sandcrawler being set by those on the Routesetting workshop!
10th March – The Sandcrawler a Highball staff set!
17th March – The Anvil
27th March – Comp Wall for Flash League FINALS (with guest setter Jakub Stec!)
31th March – Top Out
That’s all for now!
In the mean time, keep an eye on the chalkboard and our social media for updates and changes!
-Abby and the Highball Team
